The massive explosion and fires that rocked the Shahid Rajaei port near Bandar Abbas, Iran, on 26 April 2025 took the lives of at least 57 people and injured over 1,200, according to media reports. The port's activities and surrounding community were severely impacted and the hazardous smoke could have severe health and environmental effects. The government has stated that negligence and non-compliance with safety measures regarding the storage and handling of hazardous chemicals were the causes.
To prevent and mitigate the effects of future incidents, Member States worldwide are invited to engage in UNECE's current interagency work to support governments to strengthen safety and security measures across sectors for the management of hazardous chemicals.
Major port explosions in Lebanon (Beirut port in 2020) and China (Tianjin port in 2015), as well as blasts in Equatorial Guinea (Bata barracks in 2021) and USA (West Fertilizer Explosion in 2013), have had lasting impacts. These resulted from inadequate storage and handling of hazardous chemicals and in some cases prompted governments to strengthen their inspections of chemical facilities, review inventories, follow-up on non-compliance and suspected irregularities and raise public awareness. As governments review and improve safety measures, risks need to be carefully assessed against the background of the ongoing global energy transition, aiming to mitigate climate change, while also adapting to its increasing impacts. Certain hazardous substances and technologies affiliated with the energy transition have potential to cause accidents if not properly managed. In a changing climate, increasingly severe and frequent natural hazards can trigger accidents and exacerbate their effects.
International instruments and standards support governments to manage risks of hazardous chemicals to prevent, prepare for and respond to industrial accidents. At UNECE, the Industrial Accidents Convention provides principles and guidance to manage technological disaster risk, aiming to enhance industrial safety nationally and across borders, in a transboundary context. At UN level, the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS) and UN Recommendations on the Transport of Dangerous Goods lay out measures to safely store, handle and transport hazardous chemicals.
ILO, IMO, UNDRR, UNEP, UNEP/OCHA Joint Environment Unit, UNITAR, WHO, OECD, the European Commission and European Investment Bank also support risk management from different angles, with their respective legal and policy instruments and guidance.
UNECE has also initiated a partnership with these organizations to follow-up on the 2020 Beirut port explosion and implement a three-year global project, supported by the European Union and the European Investment Bank. The initiative aims to promote and improve knowledge of international instruments that apply along the lifecycle of chemicals for preventing and mitigating accidents, strengthen capacities for related policies and governance and increase knowledge of authorities on preparedness and response.
A new video that introduces the risks of managing hazardous chemicals and tools available to manage them; a forthcoming information repository and report with more information on international instruments and national good practices; and a global seminar on this topic within the framework of the 14th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Industrial Accidents Convention at the end of 2026.
International cooperation and coordination, including across sectors, are key to enhancing knowledge and developing tools to avoid future incidents involving hazardous chemicals and to protect people, the environment and economies from them.
